Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been selected to reimagine the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Building in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

The firm contended against 47 contestants from around the globe in a competition organised by the Sverdlovsk Region’s Ministry of Construction.

Located in the midst of the Ural mountains, the proposed sonic wave-inspired concert hall–which, not surprisingly, has already drawn comparisons to a spaceship–will comprise a 1,600-seat auditorium as well as a 400-seat chamber music hall.

The venue will also include a rooftop terrace which will provide concert-goers with panoramic views of Yekaterinburg's All Saints Cathedral.

In a statement, ZHA said: “The design re-interprets these physical acoustic properties to define spaces for the auditoria that are suspended within the canopy, appearing to float above the new civic plaza that is both the lobby of the Philharmonic Concert Hall and an enclosed urban square.”

The new building is expected to evoke Yekaterinburg's history as the cultural and social capital of the Urals. “It will enrich the city,” said Pavel Krekov, Deputy-Governor of the Sverdlovsk Oblast.

Yekaterinburg, which is home to the internationally-acclaimed Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, is also considered Russia’s third largest economic powerhouse.

The lobby will also serve as a public plaza / Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

The new concert hall will replace the old Philharmonic building, which was constructed in the 1930s / Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been selected to reimagine the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Building in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The firm contended against 47 contestants from around the globe in a competition organised by the Sverdlovsk Region’s Ministry of Construction. Located in the midst of the Ural mountains, the proposed sonic wave-inspired concert hall–which, not surprisingly, has already drawn comparisons to a spaceship–will comprise a 1,600-seat auditorium as well as a 400-seat chamber